What to Consider When Customizing Plastic Molds?

• What to Consider When Customizing Plastic Molds?
  • Understand the Definition and Use of Plastic Molds
  • Understand the key components used in injection molds
  • Types of molds divided by sheet metal structure
  • Types of molds based on runner system
  • Specialized molds for advanced applications
  • Understanding How Injection Molding Molds Are Made and How Much They Cost
  • How to Choose the Right Plastic Mold Maker for Your Project
  • Elimold’s Plastic Mold Making Service Benefits
  • Leveraging New Processes: Getting Started with 3D Printed Plastic Molds
  • Conclusion

If you are responsible for a product development or manufacturing project that requires custom plastic molds, it is important to understand how the mold making process works, how it is used, and how it can be optimized to meet specified production requirements. Elimold works with a wide range of companies across a wide range of industries. We take a unique approach by first understanding the end product requirements of our customers and then developing a plastic molding process to achieve the desired end product. This allows us to customize plastic molds to produce parts based on customer needs. This not only saves customers money and speeds up production, but also produces high-quality parts.

This comprehensive guide will provide you with detailed information on how to get started with mold making. This guide will dive into the plastic mold making process and other content, so that you can simply understand what factors should be considered when customizing plastic molds.

Understand the Definition and Use of Plastic Molds

Various manufacturing processes require the use of a well-designed fixed tool, structure, or frame (called a mold) to shape a ductile raw material. In terms of structure, molds can be either concave (female mold) or convex (male mold), depending on the final design that the manufacturer hopes to create.

Molds are an integral part of the manufacturing process mentioned above. Their main purpose is to replicate a given design and produce identical copies. Plastic materials used in the process of injection molding plastic parts. Generally, after the plastic mold is designed and developed, it needs to be installed in the molding equipment, and then raw materials such as thermoplastics are poured into the mold or molded around the mold. After the material solidifies, the mold will imprint its pattern on the material to form the finished product.

So, what can molds make? From prototypes to complex end-use parts, almost everything. Molding technology can be used to manufacture automotive parts, consumer products, packaging, jewelry, medical devices, etc.; in fact, it is not easy to find a functional product that does not use molding technology in the production process.

Understand the key components used in injection molds

Plastic injection molds contain many major components that work together to shape and produce high-quality plastic parts. Understanding these components is very important to optimize the molding process. Here are the key components:

• Mold frame: All mold components are held in place by the mold base, which acts as a frame. It consists of two main parts: the cavity plate and the core plate. These plates contain the cavity and core respectively, which determine the shape of the molded part.
• Cavity and Core: These are the parts of the mold that come in contact with the plastic material, which is made into the final product through the injection molding process. Cavity refers to the void inside the mold or any other object used for molding, while core refers to the solid part that forms the internal features of the object being produced. They are usually made using strong metals such as hardened steel to ensure durability and accuracy.
• Ejector Pins: Ejector pins help to remove the finished product from the mold. The plastic cools and hardens after injection and needs to be removed, so these ejector pins forcefully push it out of the mold cavity. The number and arrangement of ejector pins must be chosen correctly to avoid damage during the ejection process.
• Runner System: This system guides the flow of molten plastic between the nozzle and the cavity entrance during the injection phase. It includes main gate, runners, gates, etc. The main gate is where all the material enters the system, while runners distribute the material evenly, and gates control the entry point of the material into the various cavities.
• Cooling channels: To ensure uniform cooling throughout the mold, cooling channels should be incorporated into every part of the mold design, depending on the size and complexity. Coolant (usually water) flows through these channels to reduce the heat in the plastic, thereby promoting rapid solidification. Well-designed cooling channels can save time on each cycle while improving part quality.
• Venting: This is an important stage in the injection molding process, allowing air and other gases to escape from the cavity as the plastic is filled. Without proper venting at specific locations in the mold parting line or ejector area, problems such as burns and incomplete filling may occur due to air entrapment.
• Temperature control system: Temperature control systems include devices such as heaters and thermocouples that are used to regulate heat levels in different parts of the mold. Maintaining the required operating temperature in the mold during production greatly affects the quality of the final product, so precise control should always be ensured.

Types of molds divided by sheet metal structure

When choosing an injection mold, sheet metal structure plays an important role in determining production efficiency and cost. Different sheet metal designs can meet specific production needs, from simple to high-volume applications.

• Two-plate mold: The most basic and widely used mold type, a two-plate mold features only one parting line that separates the cavity from the core. It is ideal for simple, cost-effective production runs, but may require an additional step to remove the runners.
• Three-plate mold: A three-plate mold adds a middle plate to separate the runners from the finished part during ejection. This design allows for better part ejection and more flexible gate placement, but comes with a higher cost and complexity.
• Stack mold: Stack molds have multiple layers of cavities, effectively doubling or tripling production without increasing the machine footprint. These molds are best suited for high-volume production, but require precise alignment to avoid defects.

Types of molds based on runner system

The runner system plays a critical role in determining material efficiency and production speed in injection molding. Depending on production volume and complexity, choosing the right runner system can have a significant impact on cost and product quality.

• Cold runner molds: Cold runner molds are cost-effective and widely used for simple, low-volume production. However, they produce excess material in the form of runners that need to be removed through post-processing. Still, they are more flexible and easier to maintain than hot runner systems.
• Hot runner molds: Hot runner molds keep the molten plastic within the system, reducing material waste and increasing production speeds. The system is efficient and well suited for high-volume production, but has higher upfront costs and more complex maintenance requirements.
• Insulated runner molds: Insulated runner molds offer a compromise between cold and hot runner systems. They use insulating materials to keep the plastic molten, minimizing waste and lowering energy use. The system is useful for specific applications where a full hot runner system may not be practical or cost-effective.

Specialized molds for advanced applications

Specialized molds offer customized solutions for complex designs and unique applications. These molds provide production flexibility and improve product performance, making them a necessity for advanced manufacturing needs.

• Insert molds: Insert molds incorporate prefabricated components, such as metal or other materials, into the plastic molding process. This method is frequently used in medical devices and electronics to increase strength and functionality by combining multiple materials into one part.
• Overmolding Molds: Overmolding involves molding multiple layers of material in a single part to enhance functionality and aesthetics. For example, overmolding is often used in tooling to add soft grips or ergonomic features to create a more user-friendly product.
• Twist-off Molds: Twist-off molds are designed specifically for parts that require threaded holes, such as caps or closures. These molds automate the demolding process by spinning a threaded core, ensuring precision and efficiency for high-volume production.
• Prototype Molds: Prototype molds are used for low-cost, limited production runs to test designs before full production. These molds are less durable, but they are invaluable for validating a product’s functionality and design before investing in expensive production molds.

Understanding How Injection Molding Molds Are Made and How Much They Cost

Injection molding molds are typically made of metal using CNC machining or EDM. These high-cost industrial methods require specialized equipment, high-end software, and highly trained personnel. Metal molds typically take four to eight weeks to produce, and can cost anywhere from $2,000 to over $1,000,000, depending on the shape and complexity of the part. However, there are some alternatives to using metal molds. Using Elimold’s in-house 3D printing to make injection molding molds for prototyping and low-volume production can significantly reduce costs and time compared to metal molds, while still producing high-quality, repeatable parts.

How to Choose the Right Plastic Mold Maker for Your Project

As an experienced mold maker, Elimold is committed to meeting all of our customers’ production deadlines. We are meticulous about ensuring that we can always provide our customers with accurate capacity and production information to ensure on-time delivery. And all of our work is done in-house. This allows us to perform comprehensive quality control and production to exacting standards. We also offer in-house design, engineering, and assembly services, which allows us to offer our customers a wider range of services, reduce their costs, and reduce the logistical challenges that come with working with multiple companies. In addition, we have a comprehensive quality control system to meet all requirements for injection molding and mold making. Since this is an extremely exacting standard, it is critical to choose a company that is experienced and capable of fulfilling your order.

Elimold’s Plastic Mold Making Service Benefits

Our plastic injection mold making service is a leading-edge process that we offer our customers, along with other cutting-edge services. We are able to handle both large and small orders. Our extensive experience and understanding of the process, as well as our ability to work closely with our customers’ design teams from the concept stage, helps our customers save time, effort, and cost. Elimold’s team of engineers are able to not only create a computer drawing of your specific part or assembly, but also produce the part to the exacting specifications you require. This is very different from other types of molded plastic part manufacturers.

At Elimold, we provide injection molding and mold making services to companies large and small. While injection molding offers a wider selection of shapes, configurations, and design elements, it is not always the best approach. Our team will evaluate these issues and discuss alternative production methods. We can also recommend design changes to mold a part without compromising performance, life cycle, size, or other essential characteristics.

Leveraging New Processes: Getting Started with 3D Printed Plastic Molds

Combining traditional production techniques such as injection molding, thermoforming, or silicone casting with 3D printed molds can help you get your products to market faster with a fast and economical manufacturing process. 3D printing technology offers companies a cost-effective and versatile way to develop master models and molds for both direct and indirect mold making processes completely in-house. We use six mold making processes that can be achieved with an in-house SLA 3D printing and use real-life examples to gain a deeper understanding.

Conclusion

One of the big differences in plastic mold making is the complexity of the part. Injection molding companies with limited experience underestimate the experience required to build these molds and structure the injection molding process to perfectly meet the required tolerances. With our expertise and experience, we can handle complex parts that other injection molding companies cannot produce. In addition, we can meet your deadlines, which is always critical in mold making and injection molding projects. To discuss your next order or to discuss our custom plastic mold or injection molding services, please contact a member of our team.